Formatting, view, validation & print layout
Apply cell and table styles, header formatting, conditional formats, data validation, protection, view settings (freeze panes, hidden rows and columns, zoom) and print setup.
20 project-authored proposals · taxonomy v1.1 · 0 new benchmark runs. Verifiers and partial-credit rules below are designs, not executed results.
- Typical applications
- Excel · LibreOffice Calc · Numbers
- Class GUI-need label
HY· Hybrid
Task proposals · 20
Expand to inspect the complete original wording and proposed checks. Original proposal text remains English in both interfaces.
R04.03.01.04-T01 Highlight overdue unpaid invoice rows with a formula rule
Original instruction
In fixtures/ar_ledger.xlsx sheet 'AR' (A1:H640), add one formula-based conditional format applied to A2:H640 that fills the entire row #F8CBAD when Due Date (col F) is before the as-of date in K1 and Status (col H) is not 'Paid'. No helper columns. Save.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Excel
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & forms- Work product
WP02· Records/table- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 2 / 5
Proposed verifier
openpyxl: exactly one rule on A2:H640, type expression, formula uses mixed refs ($F2, $H2, $K$1), fill F8CBAD; grader changes K1 and 10 statuses, renders via LibreOffice headless and checks highlighted rows equal key.
Proposed partial credit
30% single rule on right range; 40% formula logic with correct anchoring; 30% correct rows after perturbation.
R04.03.01.04-T02 Restrict a status column to a named list with a stop alert
Original instruction
In fixtures/work_orders.ods (LibreOffice Calc), restrict D2:D500 to values from named range 'StatusList' on sheet 'Lists', show an input help titled 'Status' and a Stop error 'Pick a status from the list'. Existing invalid entries in D must be corrected to the closest valid status per input/status_fixes.csv. Save.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windowslin· Linux- Applications
- LibreOffice Calc
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & forms- Work product
WP02· Records/table- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 2 / 5
Proposed verifier
content.xml: table:content-validation with condition cell-content-is-in-list referencing StatusList, help message and stop error text exact, applied to D2:D500; D values all valid and equal key.
Proposed partial credit
40% validation rule and range; 25% help + stop messages; 35% invalid entries corrected.
R04.03.01.04-T03 Set up dependent Country→City dropdowns that reject mismatches
Original instruction
In fixtures/travel_requests.xlsx, make B2:B300 a dropdown of countries from table 'tblGeo' and C2:C300 a dropdown listing only that row's country's cities, using dynamic arrays or named ranges. Mismatched existing city entries must be flagged with a conditional format (fill #FFC7CE). Save.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Excel
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & forms- Work product
WP02· Records/table- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
dataValidations on B and C; grader opens in Excel via COM, sets 6 test countries and enumerates C's list (Validation.Formula1 evaluation) vs key; CF flags exactly the 14 seeded mismatches.
Proposed partial credit
25% country list; 45% dependent city lists correct for 6 probes; 30% mismatch flags.
R04.03.01.04-T04 Configure numeric-threshold icon sets and fixed-scale data bars
Original instruction
fixtures/store_scorecard.xlsx 'Scores': in D2:D80 add a 3-arrow icon set using numbers (≥95 green up, ≥85 yellow side, else red down) showing icons only; in E2:E80 (variance, −40..40) add solid data bars with fixed min −40/max 40, negative bars red and axis at cell midpoint. Save.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Excel
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & forms- Work product
WP02· Records/table- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
CF XML: iconSet 3Arrows with cfvo type num 85/95, showValue=0; x14 dataBar with min/max num −40/40, negativeFillColor red, axisPosition middle, gradient off. x14 data-bar extensions are not written by openpyxl.
Proposed partial credit
45% icon set thresholds and icons-only; 40% data bar scale/negative/axis; 15% ranges exact.
R04.03.01.04-T05 Protect a budget sheet so only input cells stay editable
Original instruction
In fixtures/dept_budget.xlsx 'Budget', unlock only the yellow input cells (C5:N24 and C30:N32), hide formulas in all other formula cells, then protect the sheet with test password 'audit2025' allowing users to select unlocked cells, sort and use AutoFilter. Save.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Excel
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clickdrag· Drag & drop- Work product
WP02· Records/table- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
openpyxl: locked=False exactly on the input ranges; hidden=True on all formula cells; sheetProtection sheet=1 with sort=0, autoFilter=0, selectLockedCells=1; password hash verifies 'audit2025'.
Proposed partial credit
35% exact unlocked ranges; 20% formulas hidden; 30% protection flags; 15% password.
R04.03.01.04-T06 Print a wide price list to exactly four landscape A4 pages
Original instruction
Set up fixtures/price_list.xlsx 'Prices' for print: A4 landscape, fit to 1 page wide, rows 1–3 repeat on every page, footer 'Page X of Y' center and file name right, centered horizontally, 1.5 cm margins. The PDF export (output/price_list.pdf) must be exactly 4 pages with no clipped columns.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Excel
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
G2· GUI-essential- GUI need · ordinary access
G2· GUI-essential- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clickvis· Visual judgment- Work product
WP03· Visual layout- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
pageSetup orientation/paper/fitToWidth=1, printTitleRows $1:$3, headerFooter codes &P of &N and &F, margins; PDF has 4 pages, each page's top text lines equal rows 1–3, rightmost column header present on every page (pdfplumber). VBA, COM and AppleScript automation disabled, no Python in the VM; file must be saved by Excel (app.xml).
Proposed partial credit
30% page setup values; 20% print titles; 20% footer; 30% PDF page count and no clipping.
R04.03.01.04-T07 Place manual page breaks so each region starts a new page
Original instruction
fixtures/regional_report.xlsx 'Report' lists 5 regions in blocks. Using Page Break Preview, set the print area to A1:K412 and insert manual page breaks so each region starts at the top of a page and no region block is split unless it exceeds a page. Export output/regional_report.pdf.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Excel
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
G2· GUI-essential- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
drag· Drag & dropvis· Visual judgment- Work product
WP03· Visual layout- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
rowBreaks contain the 4 region-start rows (plus any needed within oversized blocks only); print area exact; PDF parsed: each region heading is the first text on its page; no page starts mid-block except within the one oversized region. VBA, COM and AppleScript automation disabled, no Python in the VM; file must be saved by Excel (app.xml).
Proposed partial credit
20% print area; 50% region breaks correct; 30% PDF page starts verified.
R04.03.01.04-T08 Write custom number formats for k-units, signed % and dash zeros
Original instruction
In fixtures/kpi_board.xlsx apply custom number formats: C4:C30 show thousands as '12.3k' with negatives red in parentheses and zero as '–'; D4:D30 show percent change with explicit sign ('+4.2%', '−1.0%'); E4:E30 show durations in seconds as '[h]:mm:ss'. Do not change cell values. Save.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Excel
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
type· Text & formsclick· Point & click- Work product
WP02· Records/table- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
Grader renders cells via Excel COM .Text for 30 probe values incl. 0, negatives, ≥1M and >24h durations and compares to expected strings; cell values hashed unchanged.
Proposed partial credit
40% C format renders correctly; 30% D signed %; 20% E durations; 10% values unchanged.
R04.03.01.04-T09 Style and print-fit a Numbers inventory sheet with highlighting rules
Original instruction
In fixtures/pantry_inventory.numbers add conditional highlighting to table 'Stock': Qty ≤ Reorder Level → red fill, Expiry within 14 days of today → orange text. Apply the 'Muted' table style, freeze header row, and in Print view fit the sheet to one page wide with page header 'Stock check'. Save.
- Platforms
mac· macOS- Applications
- Numbers
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
G3· GUI-only- GUI need · ordinary access
G2· GUI-essential- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & formsvis· Visual judgment- Work product
WP02· Records/table- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
Grader AppleScript exports to PDF and .xlsx: highlighted cells equal key in the PDF render (color sampling on cell boxes); header text present; one page wide. osascript/JXA is blocked for the agent; the file must be saved by Numbers (IWA metadata).
Proposed partial credit
40% two highlighting rules correct; 20% table style and frozen header; 40% print fit and header.
R04.03.01.04-T10 Consolidate 47 fragmented conditional-format rules into four
Original instruction
Copy-paste has left fixtures/project_tracker.xlsx 'Tracker' with 47 duplicated, fragmented conditional-format rules. Replace them with the 4 rules in input/cf_spec.md, each applied to one contiguous range, in the stated priority with Stop If True where specified, so the rendered result matches the spec for every row.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Excel
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & formsvis· Visual judgment- Work product
WP02· Records/table- Conditions
hidden· Hidden/stale state- Proposed difficulty
- 4 / 5
Proposed verifier
Exactly 4 cfRules with sqref, priority and stopIfTrue per spec; grader renders 300 rows via Excel COM DisplayFormat.Interior.Color and compares with key; cell values unchanged.
Proposed partial credit
25% rule count reduced to 4; 25% ranges and priorities; 35% rendered colors equal key; 15% Stop If True flags.
R04.03.01.04-T11 Export six differently set up sheets to one continuous PDF
Original instruction
fixtures/board_pack.xlsx has 6 sheets. Per input/print_spec.md set each sheet's orientation, scaling and print area, use one shared header (company name left, date right) and continuous page numbering 'n / total', then export the whole workbook as output/board_pack.pdf with sheets in the order given in the spec.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Excel
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
G2· GUI-essential- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clickvis· Visual judgmentnav· Pan/zoom/scroll- Work product
WP03· Visual layout- Conditions
long· Long-horizon- Proposed difficulty
- 4 / 5
Proposed verifier
pageSetup per sheet vs spec; PDF: total page count equals key, sheet order by first-page text, page numbers continuous 1..N, header text on every page, page sizes/orientation per page match spec. VBA, COM and AppleScript automation disabled, no Python in the VM; file must be saved by Excel (app.xml).
Proposed partial credit
30% per-sheet setups (pro-rata over 6); 20% header; 25% continuous numbering; 25% PDF order and page count.
R04.03.01.04-T12 Validate invoice IDs by pattern and uniqueness in Calc
Original instruction
In fixtures/invoice_register.ods (LibreOffice Calc) make A2:A2000 accept only unique IDs matching 'INV-' plus 6 digits (custom formula validation), highlight existing violations with a conditional style 'BadID', and protect the sheet so only A:F of rows 2–2000 are editable. Save.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windowslin· Linux- Applications
- LibreOffice Calc
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & forms- Work product
WP02· Records/table- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 4 / 5
Proposed verifier
content-validation custom formula combining REGEX and COUNTIF on A2:A2000; conditional style 'BadID' marks exactly the 23 seeded violations (rendered via headless export); sheet protected with A2:F2000 unprotected cells.
Proposed partial credit
35% validation formula works on 10 probes; 30% violation highlighting; 35% protection scope.
R04.03.01.04-T13 Give each department its own editable range and lock the structure
Original instruction
In fixtures/capex_requests.xlsx 'Requests', define Allow Edit Ranges 'Ops' (B5:F40), 'IT' (B45:F80) and 'Facilities' (B85:F120) each with its test password from input/range_passwords.txt, protect the sheet, and protect workbook structure so sheets cannot be added or renamed. Save.
- Platforms
win· Windows- Applications
- Excel
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & forms- Work product
WP08· App/system state- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 4 / 5
Proposed verifier
protectedRanges: 3 entries with exact names, sqref and password hashes that verify against the file; sheetProtection on; workbookProtection lockStructure=1. Grader tries edits via COM with each password to confirm scope.
Proposed partial credit
45% three ranges correct (equal thirds); 25% sheet protected; 30% structure locked.
R04.03.01.04-T14 Make three financial statements print one page each without shrinking
Original instruction
fixtures/fs_fy25.xlsx has Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow sheets. Make each print on one portrait A4 page at a scale of at least 90% by adjusting column widths, wrapping and margins, with a different first-page header carrying the statement title. No '####' or clipped labels in output/fs_fy25.pdf.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Excel
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
G2· GUI-essential- GUI need · ordinary access
G2· GUI-essential- Interaction primitives
drag· Drag & dropvis· Visual judgmentclick· Point & click- Work product
WP03· Visual layout- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 5 / 5
Proposed verifier
Per sheet: fitToPage off or scale ≥90 and PDF has exactly 1 page; no '#' runs in extracted text; every label from column A appears in full (string match vs cell values); differentFirst header with title; values unchanged. VBA, COM and AppleScript automation disabled, no Python in the VM; file must be saved by Excel (app.xml).
Proposed partial credit
45% each statement one page at scale ≥90 (equal thirds); 30% no clipped/#### text; 25% first-page headers.
R04.03.01.04-T15 Turn a raw grid into a validated, protected data-entry template
Original instruction
From fixtures/site_inspection_raw.xlsx build output/site_inspection_template.xlsx per input/template_spec.md: 9 validated fields (date within FY26, ranges, lists, text length), input messages, CF flags for out-of-tolerance readings, locked formulas, protected sheet, and a print layout that prints the blank form on one page.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Excel
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & formsvis· Visual judgment- Work product
WP02· Records/table- Conditions
long· Long-horizon- Proposed difficulty
- 5 / 5
Proposed verifier
Spec checklist via openpyxl (9 validations with types/limits/messages, CF rules, locked/hidden flags, protection) plus behavioral probes in Excel COM (invalid entries rejected) and PDF of blank form = 1 page with all field labels.
Proposed partial credit
35% validations (pro-rata over 9); 20% CF flags; 20% protection; 25% print layout.
R04.03.01.04-T16 Control pair of T05: apply the same protection with openpyxl
Original instruction
Control pair of T05. Using openpyxl from the terminal, apply to fixtures/dept_budget.xlsx the same unlocked input ranges, hidden formulas and sheet protection (password 'audit2025', allow sort and AutoFilter) and save output/dept_budget_protected.xlsx.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windowslin· Linux- Applications
- openpyxl
- Interfaces
term· Terminal- GUI need · task setting
AP· API-sufficient- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
code· Code & commands- Work product
WP02· Records/table- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 2 / 5
Proposed verifier
Same checker as T05. Used to contrast CLI success with the GUI path; also confirms Excel opens the file and enforces protection via a COM edit probe.
Proposed partial credit
35% unlocked ranges; 20% hidden formulas; 30% flags; 15% password.
R04.03.01.04-T17 Build a print-friendly heatmap with a three-point color scale
Original instruction
In fixtures/clinic_wait_times.xlsx 'Matrix' (day × hour), apply a 3-color scale (min #63BE7B, 50th percentile #FFEB84, max #F8696B), hide the numbers with a custom format while keeping values, add a legend row explaining the scale, and set print to one landscape page with gridlines off.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Excel
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
G2· GUI-essential- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & formsvis· Visual judgment- Work product
WP03· Visual layout- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
colorScale cfvo min/percentile 50/max with exact colors; numFmt ';;;' on the matrix; values unchanged; PDF 1 landscape page; rendered heatmap compared to reference PNG (SSIM ≥0.9); legend row text present. VBA, COM and AppleScript automation disabled, no Python in the VM; file must be saved by Excel (app.xml).
Proposed partial credit
35% color scale exact; 20% numbers hidden, values kept; 25% print setup; 20% legend + render match.
R04.03.01.04-T18 Add pop-up, checkbox and stepper cell controls in Numbers
Original instruction
In fixtures/volunteer_roster.numbers table 'Shifts': make Role a pop-up menu (Greeter, Usher, Setup, Kitchen), Confirmed a checkbox, and Hours a stepper from 0 to 8 step 0.5; add a highlighting rule that greys rows where Confirmed is unchecked; set all 64 existing rows to valid values per input/roster.csv.
- Platforms
mac· macOS- Applications
- Numbers
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
G3· GUI-only- GUI need · ordinary access
G2· GUI-essential- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & forms- Work product
WP02· Records/table- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 4 / 5
Proposed verifier
Grader AppleScript reads cell format types (pop-up, checkbox, stepper) via export to .xlsx data validation plus native inspection of the .numbers IWA archive; values equal roster.csv; greyed rows in PDF render match unconfirmed set. osascript/JXA is blocked for the agent; the file must be saved by Numbers.
Proposed partial credit
45% three cell control formats (equal thirds); 35% values entered; 20% highlighting rule.
R04.03.01.04-T19 Protect ranges and add rule-based highlighting in Google Sheets
Original instruction
In Google Sheet 'Onboarding tracker', protect the header row and columns F:H for editing by owner only, make D2:D400 a date validation within 2026 with rejection, and add a custom-formula conditional format that turns rows orange when Start Date is within 7 days and Laptop Ready is unchecked.
- Platforms
web· Any OS (web)- Applications
- Google Sheets
- Interfaces
brow· Browserapi· API/SDK- GUI need · task setting
AP· API-sufficient- GUI need · ordinary access
G2· GUI-essential- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & forms- Work product
WP02· Records/table- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
Sheets API: protectedRanges for row 1 and F:H with editors = owner only; dataValidation DATE_BETWEEN 2026 with strict=true; conditional format booleanRule custom formula; grader edits dates and checkbox values via API and checks rendered format via exported XLSX.
Proposed partial credit
35% protections; 30% date validation; 35% conditional format correct on probes.
R04.03.01.04-T20 Print a 52-week schedule across pages with repeated columns and logo
Original instruction
fixtures/maintenance_plan.xlsx 'Plan' has assets in A:C and 52 week columns. Set print so columns A:C repeat on every page, a manual vertical break every 13 weeks, header with the logo image input/logo.png left and plan title center, A3 landscape. Export output/maintenance_plan.pdf (8 pages: 2 row bands × 4 quarters).
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Excel
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
G2· GUI-essential- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
drag· Drag & dropclick· Point & clickvis· Visual judgment- Work product
WP03· Visual layout- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 5 / 5
Proposed verifier
printTitleCols $A:$C; colBreaks after weeks 13/26/39; header uses &G with the logo picture part (openpyxl cannot embed header images); A3 landscape; PDF has 8 pages, each page shows A:C labels and the right week span; logo image present on each page. VBA, COM and AppleScript automation disabled, no Python in the VM.
Proposed partial credit
20% repeated columns; 25% column breaks; 25% header logo + title; 30% PDF pages and spans.
Mapped research references
Existing benchmark-to-class links from the research catalog. They are not record-level annotations, executions or product endorsements.